The Blueprint of Creating Over-Arching Life Goals

This is a fundamental question that if asked at all is rarely answered until the conclusion of a person’s life when they may, in retrospect, be proud of some accomplishments but more likely are filled with regret at missed opportunities.

To have a life that is filled with meaning and purpose, it is essential that you have what we call “Over-Arching Life Goals.”

Why is it important?

An over-arching life goal is something that has a significant impact on the trajectory of your life.

As an entrepreneur, your business should support your over-arching life goals. Sadly, all too often, many entrepreneurs businesses prevent them from living the life they dreamed of when they started their business.

“Be careful that the entrepreneurial dream you are chasing isn’t a nightmare in disguise.” – Jamie Irvine

Most self-employed people with service-based businesses are so focused on their business that they fail to take a step back and really understand WHY they are doing what they are doing.

Regardless of the reason that you started your business you want to ensure that your business is in harmony with your over-arching life goals. By creating over-arching life goals, you articulate what you want to do with your life. This gives you insight into what kind of business you need to build to support those over-arching life goals.

What is the blueprint?

The blueprint of creating over-arching life goals can be broken down into 4 steps, that if taken in order, will provide you with a well-articulated vision of what you want to accomplish in your lifetime.

TIME – Take a significant amount of time to think independently. In the ancient world, the expression “40-days and 40-nights” was often used, not as a literal description of a specific time-frame but rather an indication that a significant amount of time had passed.

HONESTY – Be honest with yourself about what you really want. Resist the urge to set goals that sound good to others or are popular. You need to set goals that resonate deeply with you.

REALISTIC – This doesn’t mean that you should shy away from audacious goals, but don’t set yourself up for failure by setting goals that are not in the realm of possibility. There is a fine line between greatness and insanity.

COMMITMENT – Be prepared to totally commit to achieving these goals. This is your life we are talking about, you need to be present and invested. To achieve great things in your life it is critical that you be willing to work on these goals every day for years! That’s right, you must be prepared for years of hard work with little to no visible results.

By using this blueprint you will be able to develop a well-articulated vision of what you want to accomplish in your lifetime. The next step is to build a business that will support your over-arching life goals and in order to do that, you need to have a “Primary Aim” for your business. This will be the subject of next week’s article.

Let’s talk about your Over-Arching Life Goals and the Primary Aim of Your Business.